October 02, 2013

Review: Stila Convertible Color Trio in Cool

Stila's Convertible Colors (which are multi-purpose cream products for cheeks and lips) have been getting quite a lot of attention for a while now. At £16 a pop they seemed thoroughly out of my price range, especially as there was no way that I could settle on just one shade. However, when I spotted the Convertible Color Trios on FeelUnique, which offered three shades for £23, I gave in to temptation and splurged [although I'd like to make it clear that I bought this product before my spending ban started and have been trialing it for a couple of months]. I chose the 'Cool' palette which contains the shades Peony, Lillium and (a limited edition shade) Cherry Blossom (there is also a 'Warm' palette available which contains different shades). Although the amount of product you get of each shade is much less than if you were to buy each colour individually, I don't often finish make-up and I prefer to have a variety of colours so at £23 this palette seemed perfect for me.

left to right: Peony, Lillium, Cherry Blossom.

All three shades in this palette are gorgeous. I have found that they all work very well against my pale skin as it is easy to apply them lightly, however, I've also experimented with building the colour up for deeper, less subtle, shade and they also work very well when used like that. I think my favourite colour in the palette is actually Cherry Blossom (which you can't buy individually) although the colour that I bought the palette for was Lillium. Cherry Blossom and Lillium look relatively similar in my swatch (and in the pan) but Lillium is a lot pinker than Cherry Blossom. Cherry Blossom is great when used as a subtle bronzing or contouring shade as it is quite brown so can really help to shape my pale face without making me look dirty or orange. Lillium, however, has a lot more pink to it - and you can just about see that when you look at it for long enough. When you blend it out on the skin the colour is incredibly flattering for a subtle wash of colour and I think it is the easiest shade of the three to work with. It goes with a lot of make-up looks and unless it is built up a lot it looks incredibly natural. Peony is definitely not the normal sort of colour I'd wear, it looks incredibly Barbie-esque when swatched. However, when applied lightly and blended out it gives a really fresh glow to the face which is especially useful on days when you desperately want to look more awake without piling on make-up. I was incredibly surprised at how much I liked using it and I think that this colour works best in a high quality form., such as Stila's Convertible Colors.

All three shades are very light feeling and blend amazingly well. I use my Real Techniques Stippling Brush to first apply them to the high point of my cheek bones and then blend the colour down my cheek with my fingers. The result is seamless make-up and a glowing finish that lasts for about six hours. If I applied these in the morning I would like to reapply them after six hours to regain the full initial impact of their colour and dewy finish, however, the colour does linger for a bit longer than that.

My overall opinion of the Stila Convertible Colors is that they are really fabulous products. The shades are all beautiful and the formula is incredible to work with. I think they are on par with Illamasqua's Cream Blushes (which I really love) and now that I've had the opportunity to really try them out I do think they are worth their hefty price tag. The Cool Palette is currently out of stock on FeelUnique but if you like the idea of trying out three colours for £23 then you might want to give the Warm Palette a once over.

Do you like wearing cream blushes? Have you tried/or wanted to try Stila's Convertible Colours?

I'm a cream blush girl, and Stila are one of the best I've tried. I have Lillium in single, but this palette looks wonderful . I have never seen a swatch of Cherry Blossom before, and it looks lovely. I also seen this palette on ASOS (I think?). Such a good idea. Stila really brings it with palettes I have to say.